#16
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I confess that for me the appeal of an archtop is that it doesn't sound all that much like a flat-top. Even a modern-design archtop with a sweeter voice and more sustain than a classic big-band instrument still sounds like an archtop, which to my ears means a restricted attack-decay envelope (especially limited sustain) and some resophonic-like nasality when pushed hard. There's a reason a swing-rhythm player's first choice isn't a Goodall Standard. (Though I've played plenty of swing on mine--it just doesn't sound like my Eastman 805, let alone my '46 Epiphone.)
That said, the Eastman can produce decent fingerstyle sounds, as can a Loar 600--but I wouldn't choose either for, say, slack key* or O'Carolan tunes. * Yes, Leonard Kwan played an electrified L-5. But that was in 1957. |
#17
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I think part of the appeal for me (never owning one yet) is just to have an hollow acoustic with Both a magnetic and a piezo on it. I mix these 2 type of pickups now on my flattops through my Helix Stomp. You can get a plethora of sounds, and saving dozens of presets for different shades is so easy.
So picking up an solid top Eastman with a single neck pickup and then adding a k&k archtop pickup is a very interesting idea…
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#18
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On the more affordable side, maybe take a look at a (no longer made) Epiphone Masterbilt Century Deluxe. They made both a round-hole and an f-hole version. They have kind of a unique saddle with a pickup. They were kind of poo-poo'd by people looking for the traditional archtop sound ... some said it more flattop like.
Last edited by NervousNrG; 01-21-2022 at 07:23 PM. |
#19
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Quote:
I 2nd the vote on Eastman...I highly recommend an Eastman if it is in your budget. Very good build quality and tone. My pure acoustic AR805 has broader acoustic presence than a traditional archtop (which may or may not suit your needs). Quote:
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#20
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A little hard to find in the price range you cite, but worth exploring, would be a Yamaha AEX 1500. I’ve played them in stores, never owned one, but really like them. Humbucker + piezo.
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#21
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Another consideration might be an Epiphone "inspired by Gibson" 335. Check out this clean tones demo by Tim Lerch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwt4ZYPRXa0&t=171s An Epi casino would work too -- they're a thin hollow body with P90's. You could probably even update the pickups on either of those guitars (e.g. to, say, Lollar's) and stay under $1,000 if you did it yourself. |
#22
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You might want to talk to James May - http://jamesmayengineering.com/products/ as he offers a piezo pickup specially designed for blending with a mag pickup on an archtop so you can get that acoustic or magnetic or blend
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Custom Breedlove 12 string guitar Breedlove Deschutes 6 string guitar Deering 12 string banjo Custom Emerald X20-12 guitar |
#23
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If you want a flattop-like sound, an X-braced model like the Eastmans would be the way to go; if you want to play it acoustically I would still go for a solid-top and a floating pickup (if any). I *think* there are also current-production Epiphones that have a solid top (and they make a round-hole version that should sound even more like a flattop).
The best way to mic an f-hole archtop for its acoustic sound is behind the bridge with the mic aimed between bridge and treble f-hole. Pros like Jonathan Stout use a lavalier-style mic for that, fixed to the tailpiece or to the strings (behind the saddle of course ). Electrified Eastman and The Loar ship(ped) with Kent Armstrong floaters: those are humbuckers (which happen to work decently with acoustic steel strings as well, plus they have adjustable poles). |
#24
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For the price difference you can definitely do a lot worse - esp. if you can try different Loars or get a good used one (QC is a bit random on this brand). In case you haven't found them: both Rob MacKillop and "daddystovepipe" have several YT videos up that give a good impression of how the luxury big brother LH-700 can sound acoustically beyond the usual swing/comping.
Someone mentioned a nasal sound when pushed hard suggesting (IIUC) that it's worse than on flattops. IMHO it's the opposite; flattops almost always sound nasal (the plain trebles). https://youtu.be/0skckdxOHKs?t=595 |
#25
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Heck give one of the 200.00 Grotes a try on Amazon. Seems to be a lot of reviews on YouTube
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